Guelleh returns to Djibouti amid health speculations

DJIBOUTI - Djibouti President Ismail Omar Guelleh returned home on Sunday amid speculations about his health, the presidency reported, ending anxiety in the Red Sea nation where locals had demanded his whereabouts after a long absence from public glare.

A statement by the presidency indicated that Guelleh had visited France for a private mission but did not give further details about the president's trip. France colonized Djibouti and had a huge influence on the Red Sea nation.

Earlier, Ilyas Moussa Dawaleh, the country's minister for economy and finance, dismissed the reports that the president was critically ill and that he had been hospitalized on Saturday, terming the reports as 'inaccurate and ill-intended'.

While confirming that the president was in good health, Dawaleh said the head of state has long struggled with his right knee, which had previously been subjected to surgery abroad. He termed the news on the alleged hospitalization as false.

"Sorry haters, President Ismail is doing well, and very well. One can dislike a leader without falling into hatred and slander, even going so far as to wish death upon another Muslim," said the minister, a close confidant of the president.

"Yes, he has an issue with his right knee, so what? He is, first and foremost, a human being like you and me. Shame on the prophets of doom," Dawaleh wrote on social media account, adding that there was no need for panic in the country.

Social media reports had claimed the president was flown to Paris due to a critical illness, with internet outages in Djibouti allegedly aimed at preventing the spread of news about his condition. He has been leading the country since 1999.

Last week, he was notably absent from the United Nations General Assembly in New York where most World leaders had gathered for the 79th Assembly. Djibouti is a relatively peaceful but autocratic country where the opposition is usually suppressed.

GAROWE ONLINE